PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Results from the first food safety study in Puerto Rico presented

Under the name Puerto Rico Food Security Survey 2015, and in collaboration with the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance, BRFSS) administered in Puerto Rico by the Department of Health, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) presented the results of the first study on this topic to be carried out in Puerto Rico. The BRFSS is a continuous epidemiological surveillance system that is carried out in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States and its jurisdictions, including Puerto Rico. The study population was adults aged 18 and over and the response rate in Puerto Rico was 71.1%, placing us among the top 25 jurisdictions with the highest participation. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, food insecurity is a key factor that complements the undernourishment indicator and makes it possible to improve the characterization of hunger.

“The large amount of food imported into Puerto Rico, among other aspects, makes the population more vulnerable to food insecurity. This is why it is essential to know the statistics related to this aspect, as well as the risk behaviors, morbidities and health practices of vulnerable populations,” said the Institute's acting executive director, Dr. Orville M. Disdier.

From the most relevant data from this study, it is estimated that 33% of the population aged 18 and over in Puerto Rico were food insecure. Similarly, 21.7% of the people interviewed indicated that, in the 12 months before the study, there were times when they had to serve themselves less food or stop eating one of their daily meals due to lack of money. A quarter of these (25.8%) did so almost every month.

The study also revealed, among others, that the Arecibo region had the highest percentage of food insecurity with 40.6%, while the metropolitan area and Ponce were the regions with the lowest food insecurity with 31.8% and 31.4% respectively. 44.3% of food-insecure people perceived their health as regular or poor. This percentage was higher in women (47.6%) compared to men (38.7%). People diagnosed with a depressive disorder were 2.7 times more likely to belong to the food-insecure group than people who had not been diagnosed with a depressive disorder.

“One of the most revealing results is related to poverty and its impact on food insecurity. The study concluded that people with an income of less than $25,000 are 3.3 times more likely to belong to the food insecure group than people with an income of $25,000 or more,” said Myribel Santiago, Project Manager of the Institute and lead author of the study.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous entity, created by Act No. 209 of August 28, 2003, as amended, in order to promote changes in the systems for the collection and analysis of the information that is generated, so that it is complete, reliable and has quick and universal access. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is responsible for establishing criteria and standards for the collection and analysis of information from government agencies, and for supporting those private sectors that are interested in demonstrating and giving public evidence of the objectivity of statistical data. To access the study you can visit Publications.

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Contact: Lourdes Burgos, R-27

lburgos@upfrontpr.net 787-562-2932

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Authorized Statements by Dr. Mario Marazzi-Santiago, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, on Statistics of Occupied Government Positions

PRESS RELEASE

The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics has a new president of its Board of Directors

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) has a new president of its Board of Directors. The Board elected the economist and former university professor, Nicolás Muñoz, as president after the resignation on April 3 of Arnaldo Cruz, who had been president for the past three years. Muñoz, who served as vice-president of the Institute's Board, has a master's degree in economics from the University of Puerto Rico and is president of Tactical Planners, Inc., a firm dedicated to economic consulting and strategic planning. Muñoz has held other ad honorem positions in the government of Puerto Rico, including a member of the Governor's Council of Economists, president of the Workforce Investment Board (WIA), a member of the Governor's Committee for the review of the minimum wage in Puerto Rico and a member of the Employment Opportunity Promotion Board of the Department of Labor.

Board members do not earn compensation for their services. The Board is composed, in addition to Muñoz, of Dr. Idania Rodríguez Ayuso, vice-president, Mrs. Carola Ballester Descartes, secretary, Mr. Vicente Feliciano Pérez and the Hon. Manuel Laboy. This Board of Directors, as established in Act 209 of August 28, 2003, is the governing body that establishes the administrative policy of the institute, which is led by Dr. Orville M. Disdier.

Dr. Idania Rodríguez Ayuso has a master's degree in Epidemiology from the University of Puerto Rico and a doctorate in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology from Walden University. Rodríguez is also an independent consultant in epidemiology, statistics and research and a professor at Ana G. Méndez University. Mrs. Carola Ballester Descartes has a master's degree in Planning from the University of Puerto Rico, where she is also a professor and associate dean of the School of Architecture, and a master's degree in Landscape Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico.

On the other hand, Mr. Vicente Feliciano Pérez has a bachelor's degree in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA, IMD Business School in Switzerland. Feliciano is also founder and president of Advantage Business Consulting. The Hon. Manuel Laboy Rivera, who represents the government official in the Board as established by law, has a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and a master's degree from the University of Turabo. Laboy is the secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce and executive director of the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company.

As reported, the new members of the Board will concentrate their work on implementing the institute's Strategic Plan, which includes several goals, including: Develop an administrative structure that allows the proper functioning of internal processes, restructuring the statistical coordination committee so that it operates effectively and increases compliance with the law that governs the institute and establishes its mission, and improving the budget or capital by diversifying the institute's services and projects to obtain external income or funds non-governmental.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity tasked with coordinating the government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and accessible quickly and universally.

To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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Contact: Idia M. Martínez, R‐28 787‐603‐3200

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